So you've just bought new carpet for your home from Poplar Carpets. Congratulations! We value your custom!

Now you just need to make sure you look after it. If you take good care of it, your carpet will last for many years.

Here are five steps to help maintain your new carpet and flooring.

1. Vacuum Regularly

Vacuuming is an essential part of maintaining your new carpets. It removes dirt, dust and other particles from the carpet fibres, which can cause discolouration and premature wear.

Vacuum at least once a week to keep your new carpet looking its best. You should also vacuum daily if you have pets or children.

New carpets will often seem to shed quite a lot, but this is normal and will reduce with frequent vacuuming. 

Carpets can usually withstand being vacuumed several times a week without being damaged. We recommend making sure you concentrate on high-traffic areas first and have a thorough hoover of the rest of the room once a week if time is short.

Daily vacuuming removes pet hair, dirt and other contaminants that can cause stains and discolouration in your new carpet. When you vacuum daily, you’re removing more dirt before it has a chance to settle into the carpet fibres.

2. Allow the carpet to settle and rotate your furniture regularly

Avoid putting furniture on the carpet until it has had time to settle in after installation. Furniture legs can leave permanent indentations in soft carpets, and heavy furniture can cause damage to hard floors underneath. Some form of temporary soft protection is a good solution if you need to re-furnish immediately.

It may also be best to keep pets off your new carpet until they get used to their new surroundings because they tend to scratch at furniture when they're exploring new environments.

It’s also not uncommon for there to be strong odours after a new carpet has been installed due to the underlay or any adhesives that have been used. Make sure to ventilate your home and these smells will soon go and aren’t harmful.

By rotating your furniture regularly, your decrease the risk of lasting indentations in carpets and scratches on surfaces of harder flooring.

3. Clean spills immediately to prevent stains and lasting damage.

You also need to clean up spills right away to prevent stains from setting in the fibres. Some stains may be completely removed if they’re treated quickly enough. Others may require professional cleaning by professional cleaning service providers. 

However, most stains will be much easier to remove if they’re treated immediately after they occur rather than allowing them time to set in and become permanent marks on your carpet fibres

Use the proper cleaning solutions on your carpets. Use only approved products on the manufacturer's label. Avoid using vinegar, ammonia or bleach because they can damage the fibres or finish on some carpets, although, if you’ve purchased a manmade polypropylene carpet, these are bleachable.

4. Clean regularly

Use spot treatment products sparingly since they may contain harsh ingredients that could stain or discolour your carpet if not applied properly. Test any spot treatment product in an inconspicuous area first to ensure that it won't harm your carpet's colour or condition before treating the entire area yourself.

Keep up with spills immediately by blotting them with paper towels or rags; don't rub or scrub them! If a stain persists, try using an enzymatic cleaner formulated for pet stains or other stubborn spots.

Come and choose some quality, affordable, carpet or vinyl flooring at unbeatable prices for your own home. We even promise to match any alternative competitor quotes!

5. Use a carpet protector

By using a robust doormat and area rugs, you decrease the amount of dirt that is trailed into your house and protect it from heavy footfall.

It is also a good idea to get into the habit of removing shoes and outdoor footwear before treading across new carpet. If you can keep this up indefinitely you will prolong the life of your flooring by decreasing any build-up of dirt in the pile.

How can Poplar help?

For more help and advice on choosing your flooring visit us in-store today or click on the Visit Us page to find a store near you. Come and chat with one of our friendly and experienced team, we look forward to seeing you.

We are a family-run business with over 50 years of experience and love what we do. Our team of over 250 staff throughout the Midlands offer excellent service and support making the whole experience a positive one. We are here to help.